Adjustable support clamps are commonly used in the automotive industry to hold objects under the hood of the automobile when performing repairs or other tasks. Conventional support clamps typically include hooks that engage lateral edges of an automobile hood and position a light to illuminate the working space. Typically, soft rubber, plastic or non-marring pads are disposed over the hooks of the support clamps to protect the vehicle paint or metal from being damaged. However, the soft pads of the gripping hooks tend to wear after use, exposing the metal hooks underneath. The metal hooks can then scratch or otherwise damage the vehicle body without the protection of the soft pads.
The gripping hooks are typically under tension, making them difficult to replace. That is, one type of conventional gripping hook is attached directly to a bungee cord or other tension member concealed within a tube. If a user were to try to replace the gripping hook, the user would need to remove the gripping hook from the tension member, and hold the tension member in place against the elastic bias of the member. If the user were to accidentally release the tension member, it would retract inside the tube and be difficult to retrieve.
Conventional clamps are somewhat generic in design to fit over the largest hood flange, but in turn, are unstable when gripping narrower flanges. Also, some conventional hood flanges include lateral side edges that are parallel, and others include lateral side flanges that are tapered. The generic design of the conventional clamp causes the clamp to have difficulty gripping the many different flange designs and, in some cases, the clamp can slip and cause damage when attached to a tapered flange. Also, conventional gripping hooks are rigid or rotatable in only one direction, making it difficult to adequately grip many surfaces unless the gripping hooks are perfectly aligned.
Conventional clamps also lack versatility in that they are designed to hold only one specific type of device in place, typically a long tubular light similar to a fluorescent light bulb. The long tube light is usually disposed along a longitudinal axis between the gripping hooks and distributes light primarily in a direction between the gripping hooks. However, many common automotive tasks require light to be transmitted to other areas, such as work performed on timing belts and water pumps. The conventional support clamp is generally not well suited to provide concentrated light to these specific areas.
For example, in many prior art clamps, tubular members such as the body are comprised of two overlapping cylinders that slide relative to one another and are biased to a closed position. Other prior art clamps include tension members that attach directly to the grips and require the user to hold the tension member in place while removing the grip.